SAP® GRC For Dummies®

Chapter 12. Making Your Products Environmentally Friendly

At the beginning of this Part, we discuss in general terms what it means to "go green," along with some of the main characteristics of "green people." The chief concern of any green person or company lies in whether their actions and the products they make or use are friendly to the earth, safe, ethically produced and made, recyclable, and energy-efficient. In short, both green people and green businesses are careful to consider the effect of their decisions not only on their own quality of life, but also on the quality of life of everyone around them. Going green is about considering our impact in all that we do, from cooking with organic food using energy efficient appliances to manufacturing pesticides in Vapi, India.

As our many examples in this chapter demonstrate, it's extremely unwise for any company in business today to shirk its regulatory obligations; noncompliance carries the potential of stiff penalties and lost good faith, either of which can prove fatal. The way to ensure that you stay on top of the compliance game in all your dealings, and hence profit in the process, is to implement a comprehensive GRC program that embeds environmental and sustainability initiatives in every aspect of your operations. The sooner you do, the happier you, your customers, and your suppliers will be. If that is not enough of an incentive for change, consider that after you take just a few basic steps, you'll have joined the ranks ...